# How long does the rebound effect from nasal spray last? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 31, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868 "2006-05-31T13:33:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868/1 "2006-05-31T13:33:26Z")
Monday morning, after a weekend of suffering from some sort of sinus distress, I took a sniff or two of afrin so I could go out in the yard and work without having a bucket attached below my nose. I knew that this would shrink up the membranes and allow me to breathe normally again for a time (12 hours, supposedly). Tuesday, I woke up pretty congested, and I expected this, too, since I know these medications have a rebound effect (ie when they wear off, your membranes return to normal size and then some). How long does that last? I am still quite stuffy, and if it’s just lingering effects of my sinus dealio, I’ll sniff a little more afrin tonight so I can sleep. I am aware of the “addictive” nature of this medication, and I have no intention of using it for a prolonged period. But I would like to get a decent night’s sleep (and so would my wife…me sleeping w/ my mouth open means she gets an earful of snoring). If the rebound effect can last this long, then I’ll keep waiting for it to subside before I decide to take any more afrin. ---
**Author:** ![MizGrand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@MizGrand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizGrand)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868/2 "2006-05-31T13:51:20Z")
IME, it lasts about two days. And those are some of the worst days ever. Feeling like you can’t breathe and all you want is just _one more snort_ of nose spray. But I always feel like I’ve accomplished something when I’ve made it past the withdrawal. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868/3 "2006-05-31T14:02:52Z")
Likewise it takes me 2 to 4 days. The breathe-right strips are a godsend, and I can tell you that prescription steroid sprays help a lot. Try to gut it out and don’t use the Afrin… speaking from experience, it really sucks to depend on $6-a-bottle nose spray just to be able to breathe. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868/4 "2006-05-31T14:44:04Z")
A method I successfully used to get off the Afrin was to only use it on one nostril, and let the other one recover, and only then stop taking it altogether. That way, I could at least breathe through one side of my nose. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868/5 "2006-05-31T15:19:59Z")
Holy shit! 2 days? ok, well, I’m not using that stuff again, even though it had a near-miraculous effect, I don’t want to have to deal with the aftereffects for longer than the releif period. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868/6 "2006-05-31T15:32:56Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > Holy shit! 2 days? ok, well, I’m not using that stuff again, even though it had a near-miraculous effect, I don’t want to have to deal with the aftereffects for longer than the releif period. > > Yuck. It’s useful as an emergency measure. Anything other than emergency, see your doc for whatever is deemed necessary… antibiotics, anti-allergy pills, steroid sprays, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868/7 "2006-05-31T15:34:59Z")
What about using pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) to help with congestion during the transition from Afrin-based to non-medicated? Would that help relieve the symptoms while the Afrin-rebound is wearing off? ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868/8 "2006-05-31T15:42:50Z")
> [@Mama Zappa](#): > > What about using pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) to help with congestion during the transition from Afrin-based to non-medicated? Would that help relieve the symptoms while the Afrin-rebound is wearing off? Well I can tell you that the pseudo-sudafed (sudafed PE) they’re selling nowadays doesn’t help the swelling much. There is so much swelling that there were small parts of my sinus membranes overflowing into my nasal passage. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868/9 "2006-05-31T15:49:53Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > Well I can tell you that the pseudo-sudafed (sudafed PE) they’re selling nowadays doesn’t help the swelling much. There is so much swelling that there were small parts of my sinus membranes overflowing into my nasal passage. :eek: Now there’s a scary image!!! :eek: For what it’s worth, you can still get real Sudafed - around here, at least, it’s behind the pharmacy counter and you have to sign for it. No prescription is required (perhaps it’s required in some other states?). ---
**Author:** ![ZomZom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zomzom/32/5620_2.png) [@ZomZom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZomZom)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868/10 "2006-05-31T18:32:43Z")
As a lifetime sinus sufferer, I highly recommend a daily saline spray. [Little Noses](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006MEHZG/qid=1149100261/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-5443840-6358564?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=3760901) is mild and effective, even for adults. ---
**Author:** ![RCGDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@RCGDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RCGDC)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-rebound-effect-from-nasal-spray-last/358868/11 "2006-05-31T18:41:57Z")
> [@Brain Wreck](#): > > Likewise it takes me 2 to 4 days. The breathe-right strips are a godsend, and I can tell you that prescription steroid sprays help a lot. > > Try to gut it out and don’t use the Afrin… speaking from experience, it really sucks to depend on $6-a-bottle nose spray just to be able to breathe. I routinely find the generic versions at Target, K-Mart or CVS for 1.99 a bottle. Same size, same ingredients I was additcted to it about 10 years ago. But now I can use it occassionally and I have no rebound effect. It really varies, but at one time I used it so much that a normal dose barely lasted me 6 hours. I had to quit using it. I found that a lot of running pretty much clears my nose just as much. I have asthma too, and both have declined to pretty much zero, as long as I run for 60 minutes or more a day. Something to look into